LaPlant was finally diagnosed with compartment syndrome which has hindered her for 3 years and obviously got progressively worse and worse, I believe she is having surgery to correct it. If she comes back 100% it could be game changing for RU, especially if Harrigan or another forward can contribute similar technical ability, athleticism and soccer knowledge. Although a very small sampling, Ali and LaPlant have demonstrated that as a unit they can be extremely dangerous together. The key is to get LaPlant to 60-70 minutes a game, she and Ali would wreak havoc for defenses with their creativeness, speed, and ability to get in behind defenses. RU does not get broken down defensively but they sacrifice so much offensively and 1 goal is very difficult to come back from. They either need more balance or an offensive mentality for stretches. They hold a lot of possession, the issue is it's often in their defensive end, it seems the first thought is always to play back, not sure if it's to maintain possession, to change the point of attack, to prevent offense. But RU has to begin to pressure opponents defenses more frequently to break them down to create more opportunities, constant pressure. I would love to see a more dynamic offensive approach next year, if LaPlant and Harrigan are healthy they already have the players that can make the difference and won't have to just play players because they have no choice.
